Russia has announced that it has registered the first vaccine against the new coronavirus, but WHO has already taken caution and says it is necessary to ensure efficacy and safety. Vaccine has not yet advanced to Phase 3
It is called “Sputnik V”, it is Russian, and it is the first vaccine registered against Covid-19, according to what was announced this Tuesday, by the President of the Republic, Vladimir Putin.
The country’s authorities say that industrial production of the vaccine will start as early as September and that on January 1, 2021 the product will already be in circulation. According to official local sources, “20 countries have already ordered one million doses”.
But even though Russia apparently won the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine “race”, the World Health Organization (WHO) received the news very cautiously, stressing that the vaccine should follow pre qualification and review established by the agency.
The UN health agency stressed that the organization is satisfied “with the speed with which vaccines are being developed” and expects some of them “to be safe and effective”.
Germany also expressed doubts about the “quality, effectiveness and safety” of the Russian vaccine against the new coronavirus, noting that, in the European Union, “patient safety is the main priority”.
Despite Putin’s announcement, several scientists questioned the decision to register the vaccine before the so-called Phase 3 investigation, which takes several months and involves thousands of volunteers, is completed. It is the only way to prove that the experimental vaccine is safe and works.
